Ex-Paramedic Dementia Patient Relives Memories From His 1960s Ambulance Worker Days

The internet can be a very wholesome place. Be it just through pictures of cute animals or general sweet gestures from people; there are a lot of instances that restore faith in humanity. One such example is the recent experience that 98-year-old Albert Gibbs had. A veteran and a dementia patient, Albert got to relive his days as a paramedic in the 1960s when two paramedics visited him in period uniforms and a 1960s ambulance.

Instant Recollection

Driving up to his care home in Essex in an original 1967 Morris Wadhams ambulance, paramedics Terence Thomson and Craig Henty helped Gibbs remember special details about his 25-year career. Reminiscing, Gibbs spoke about how he wore the same hat and uniform. He also stated that their badge was similar to his, from when he worked at the northeast sector, sometimes in Liliford and sometimes in Romford. He also recalled some heroic incidents, stating that he once delivered five babies and saved a person from an accident.

Gibbs on the Force

Gibbs joined the paramedic force in 1965 through a new London-wide service that came to be known as the London Ambulance Service. Gibbs was part of the busiest emergency ambulance service in the world. Seeing the effects of the incident on Gibbs, Tracy McGuinness, the head nurse at the Elizabeth House Care Home, mentioned that visual and sensory cues can help dementia patients with their memories. Paramedic Henty elaborated on the experience of meeting Gibbs, saying that sitting with the ex-paramedic in the ambulance felt like the two had just gotten off a job. He commented that Gibbs’s familiarity and mannerisms in the vehicle were a sign of somebody who had worked in one before. One of the instances that Hentley found most fascinating was Gibbs sitting with his feet resting on the rail, a true sign of an ambulance crew member!